Tuesday, December 2

Scones You Would Climb Up 25 Stories to Eat

You just never know what life is gonna hand you.

Sometimes it's a scone. When you're hanging on a building. On the 25th floor.

The other day I was outside on my deck snapping pictures of freshly baked Lemony Medjool Date and Pomegranate Scones, when I heard a whirring sound close by. I turned, and standing right next to me were two smiling window washer guys.

Me: "Um, Hi."

Jerry: "Hey. How's it going?"

Me: "I'm all right. You guys hungry?"

Jerry: laughing "Yeah! Whattya got?"

Me: "Freshly baked scones with dates and pomegranates."

Jerry: "Cool. Yeah, I'll have one. You know, this doesn't happen too often in my day."

Me: "Yeah, it doesn't happen too often in my day either."

And with that, Jerry selected his scones and posed for a few pics.

Lemony Medjool Date and Pomegranate Scones (Low-Fat!)

These sweet-tart scones are low in fat yet high in flavor. With bright red pomegranate arils and soft, chewy Medjool dates, they make an ideal addition to a holiday brunch.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place oven racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk cottage cheese, buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla; set aside.

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chilled butter (in small pieces), and mix with a pastry blender or fork, until a coarse meal forms with tiny pea-sized butter pieces. Mix in dates, pomegranate arils, and nuts. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a fork, mix until just combined. Do not over mix or the dough will become leaden.

Using a floured surface, shape the dough into a disk, about 1/2-inch thick. With a wet knife (to make slicing easier) cut the dough into 8 triangular shaped scones. Place scones on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Brush egg wash over the tops of the scones and sprinkle with turbinado sugar before baking.

Bake scones for 15 minutes, rotating pans mid-way through. Bake until puffed and golden; transfer to a rack to cool.

That's funny! We had some window washers outside our office building and we made them a little sign and offered them some water. Then, in true Italian fashion, they asked us to make them a coffee (which we did) :) I'm sure they would have loved the scones, too :D

Nice story! Were they surprised to see you photographing food? I always wonder what the neighbours will think when I carry the food around the house's various windows looking for the perfect light - they probably won't understand what on earth and why on earth!

So was Jerry's partner on a gluten-free diet or did he take one too? Great story, Susan. Reminds me of a funny thing I read some years ago. Across the street from a high-rise construction site in Manhattan, in the middle of winter, some office workers put a sign in the window that said, "It's 72 degrees in here." Later the construction workers put up their own sign. It said, "It's $32 an hour out here."

This is hilarious! I bet they'll be telling this story to everyone they see over the holidays, starting with "You'll never guess what happened to me at work the other day." I wonder if they'll ever see this post? ; )

You'll always have the best polished windows now Susan...& with word getting around there'll be a load of interested faces popping in at your deck! Those scones are so different & so delicious...I can clean windows for those...anyday!!

What a creative recipe! The combination of pomegranate seeds and dates sounds wonderful.The only scones I've made are butter-based. I notice that your recipe calls for no butter and I'm wondering how this affects the flaky texture?

tiffany-I use a butter substitute, which works well in baked goods. I don't know if you can tell by the last pic, but the texture is slightly crisp on the outside and moist on the inside, though not really flaky. But, oh, they're good! :)